by Ellen Heyn, Communications Associate
Ever since President Trump took office, rumors have been swirling about his plans to gut Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. This week, months of conjecture turned into official presidential proclamations slashing the boundaries of the two monuments by 85 and 46 percent, respectively. The news didn’t come as a surprise, but it stung nonetheless.
The sliced and diced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase now encompass only a fraction of the natural and cultural resources they once protected. Cliff dwellings, petroglyph panels, and geological features have been cast out of each monument. Here’s a look at what got cut.
Bears Ears
Bluff Trail, San Juan River corridor. Photo: Tim Peterson
Horse panel petroglyphs. Photo: Jonathan Bailey
Lockhart Basin. Photo: Tim Peterson/LightHawk
Mancos Mesa. Photo: Tim Peterson/LightHawk
Rock art in the Mancos Mesa Bears Ears Annex. Photo: Tim Peterson
Valley of the Gods. Photo: Tim Peterson/LightHawk
Structure in western Cedar Mesa canyons. Photo: Jonathan Bailey
White Canyon. Photo: Tim Peterson
Grand Staircase
Peekaboo, Spooky, and Brimstone slot canyons. Photo: Ellen Heyn
View from Smoky Mountain. Photo: Tim Peterson
Wahweap hoodoos. Photo: Ellen Heyn
Paria badlands near townsite. Photo: Tim Peterson
The Toadstools. Photo: Ellen Heyn
Adair Point. Photo: Tim Peterson
We’ve already filed lawsuits for Grand Staircase and Bears Ears. Both complaints assert that the president used authority not granted to him by the Antiquities Act of 1906 by stripping protections from our national treasures. We expect a lengthy battle in court, and are in it for the long haul. We hope you are too.
